Happy New Year! and Blogiversary

Last year (2015) I simply nailed it. I quietly and methodically nailed it. --I actually feel gleeful as I boldly pronounce my year a success!  {Who does that?}

To recap, my goals for 2015 were:
* Own a workout habit. 

* Consistently get 8 hours of sleep...more if needed.

* Find JOY in little things. Everyday.

And my word for 2015 was:
 RELAX. As Aaron Rodgers said, "R-E-L-A-X.  Relax. We're going to be okay."

Workout Habit:  Again,  nailed it. Owning a workout habit can mean so many different things.  I let my habit evolve into something sustainable. The result was: YOGA!

I'm really pleased with my commitment to yoga. I began to see physical results after about two months and those muscles that are getting toned keep me motivated to keep going. Yoga has also made a huge impact in other ways:

1. I sleep more soundly (and easily) after yoga. 
2. Yoga endorphins are real! I almost always leave with a zen-like feeling of contentment and joy. 
3. Yoga helps me meditate. It helps me pause and let go. 

Another interesting result is that is committed to getting to a yoga class each night (or every other night, as the case may be) means that I MUST leave work on time. That means that I have to force myself to work efficiently to be able to leave. I must also prioritize which research actually adds enough value to justify the time investment. That one is hard for me. It's hard to know which research is going to be important in the beginning, but I can be more judicious about which rabbit trails I chase.  I've come a long way on this.

Sleep:  This goal is so important but so much harder to achieve consistently than I thought. I've been working on my sleep routine for a couple of years now. I still need to work on it. I had incredible fatigue from 2011-mid to 2013. It took us over 18 months to find some medical explanations. (Though we did find them and they are treatable.) Of course, the first thing to get discussed is "sleep hygiene".

I talked a little about sleep in <<==this post. Turns out sleep is even getting press from successful businesswoman Arianna Huffington. Here's a quote about her TED talk.

"Arianna Huffington shares a small idea that can awaken much bigger ones: the power of a good night's sleep....She urges us to shut our eyes and see the big picture: We can sleep our way to increased productivity and happiness — and smarter decision-making."

So, anyway, still a very valid goal. Still needs work.

JOY: Did I find joy every single day? That one is harder to measure. I didn't mark each day's joys while I DID mark each day's yoga practice. Hmmm...maybe I should have. One thing about this goal is it is active. It requires me to find joy, even when it's not obvious. I'm not sure how I did on this one. I know I did find LOTS and LOTS of joy in 2015.  Not the least of which included flying in aerial yoga! 

I found joy in the "big" things too. For instance, going on my first cruise with my lovely daughter. Not to mention seeing hubby's family in Asheville as well as spending a day at the gardens. Really, that was a spectacular day. I visited my daughter in her new town several times, including a successfully executed SURPRISE.

Of course, I spent time with each of my sisters as well as Dad and Mamacita. Though, since I moved closer to work (and further from Dad's house) I haven't seen them as much as I would like. --Must work on that.

And, my life is so enriched by being able to spend time with my friends. LOVE THEM.